Irish newspapers saw declining circulation in second half of 2012

Every national title saw its circulation decline in the second half of 2012, when compared to the second half of 2011, reports TheJournal.ie.

According to data published by the UK-based Audit Bureau of Circulations, The Irish Times had a daily circulation of 88,356, down by 8.1 percent from the equivalent period in 2011, while the Irish Independent‘s circulation dropped by 5.5 per cent to 123,981.

The Irish Examiner was down by 6 percent to 39,555, while the Sunday Business Post fell to 39,416 (down 8.6 percent). The Evening Echo saw circulation fall 11.1 per cent, to 16,560.

The Irish Daily Star dropped 11.1 per cent of its circulation, falling to 66,491 and INM’s Evening Herald fell 5.8 percent to 58,826.

The Irish Sun‘s circulation for January 2013 fell 8.8 percent year-on-year to 66,823; the Irish Daily Mirror was down 8.27 per cent to 56,872, while the Irish Daily Mail remained steady, dropping only 0.24 per cent of its circulation to 50,207.

The Sunday market showed the most flux with The Sunday Independent remaining the country's most widely-read newspaper, despite a drop of 5.4 percent in its circulation to 237,185.

The Sunday World saw a fall of 13.6 percent, to 217,141 copies circulated each week. The Sunday Times was down 6.6 percent to 98,132 copies.

The Irish Sun on Sunday, which was introduced to the market in February 2012, had an average weekly circulation of 58,749, enough to hurt the Irish Sunday Mirror, which saw circulation fall 31.7 percent to 41,910.

The Irish Mail on Sunday also saw its circulation fall as a result of the new tabloid -- with a weekly average of 98,484, down by 14.5 percent.